#accidental miracles

You were not an easy charge to keep an eye on. A majority of the people in this world didn’t have their own personal guardian angel to watch over them. There weren’t enough angels for each individual human to have that kind of protection, but you were in a… special group. Accidents seemed to follow you everywhere.

There was that time you were almost hit with a crossbeam after you’d stopped right under a construction site to tie your shoe. Then there was the time when it was raining and you still decided to try and run through the crosswalk, only to slip and almost get hit by a car. And don’t even get him started on the time you managed to get stuck in an elevator. A brand new, recently inspected elevator. Only that would happen to you.

So, yes, watching over you was Kyungsoo’s full time job. And it gave him a headache on an almost daily basis. You never even suspected that there was a guardian angel following you everywhere you went, protecting you from the dangers you seemed to attract like a magnet. Or maybe more like a bright light drawing in the unsuspecting moths. On second thought, you were the gullible moth.

It wasn’t that he thought you were dumb or simple-minded. You’d impressed him on more than one occasion with your quick wit and problem solving skills. It was simply a case of you not always paying attention to your surroundings. And possibly a balance issue.

Kyungsoo had been watching you for years, getting to know your little habits and quirks to your personality. He considered himself a little lucky when it came to your personality. You were sweet and kind to even strangers on the street. It made watching over you more rewarding, even if he had to work a little harder.

Tonight you seemed to be giving Kyungsoo a much needed break, deciding to stay in and read a book rather than venture out into the dangerous nightlife.

Opening the door that led out to your balcony, you sat down the high-top patio chair while the other became your footrest. Throughout the evening, while the sun disappeared behind the city horizon, you sipped away at your lukewarm tea and flipped through the pages of your novel. Kyungsoo didn’t know the plot of the story, but he could read the emotions loud and clear on your face. When a character said something funny, you giggled. When a sad or tragic event occurred, you frowned and gasped. There must have been a particularly embarrassing scene since you covered your face with the book and let out a noise that was half way between a laugh and a groan.

Every once in a while, a strange feeling would bubbling in his chest. He quickly squashed it, unsure of what the cause of the sensation was. It felt like a hand was in his chest, squeezing at his heart. But it wasn’t a painful feeling, just a tightness. It had been occurring more and more lately and he didn’t know what to do. Angels didn’t have doctors nor did they get sick. And it was happening whenever he stared at you like this….

No. That wasn’t possible. Maybe it was simply the stress of guarding you that creating the sensation.

As the clock clicked closer and closer to midnight, your eyelids began to flicker and you bobbed your head, barely able to stay awake.

“Just go to bed,” Kyungsoo grumbled, knowing full well that you couldn’t hear him. You never saw him or heard his little comments. That’s how it was between an angel and their charge. It was a thankless job.

In defiance, you shook off the sleepiness and continued reading. You only made it about another page and a half before you nodded off completely. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. Then you started falling out of the chair, your head aiming straight for iron rail. Jumping up from his spot, Kyungsoo flitted over to you, barely catching you in time and saving you from injury. Surely, you were going to be the death of him.

After contemplating for a second on what to do with you, he decided it was best to just put you to bed himself. In the morning, you would just think that you’d walked yourself to bed and were too tired to remember it. However, before Kyungsoo could make it halfway through your living room, you opened your eyes. You took one look at him and screamed.

**

You knew you shouldn’t have stayed up so late. Work had been exhausting, but you wanted to finish the chapter. You needed to know what was going to happen to the protagonist. Your body protested, however, and you nodded off out on the balcony. It couldn’t be pinpointed, what woke you up. But the movement you were experiencing was odd and so you opened your eyes to investigate.

As soon as you took in the man who was carrying you through your home, you screamed, scrambling to get out of his hold. You ran to the coffee table and picked up the remote. Silly as it was, it was the only weapon-like object in your vicinity.

“Who the hell are you!” you demanded, holding the plastic controller out in front of you.

The tilted his head to the side and frowned. “You can see me?”

“See you?” you echoed, unable to believe this reckless idiot. “Of course I can see you! I’m not blind! Have you seen anything in this house to conclude that I have a vision impairment?” You felt a little bad about pointing that out, but what else could he possibly mean by “see me”?

He shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. Even with perfect vision, you shouldn’t be able to see me.”

Lowering the remote, you started to think a lunatic had broken into your apartment. Just your luck. “Do you think you’re the main character in an H.G. Wells novel or something?”

Instead of answering you, the man stalked towards you. Wanting to keep the distance as it was, you backed up until your legs hit the couch. The sudden collision made you fall back so you were now an actual sitting duck. He loomed over you, his face coming within centimeters of your own.

“This shouldn’t be possible,” he mumbled to himself.

You swallowed thickly. Not because you were scared – only a tiny part of you was actually terrified of this man, which, really it should be more than that – but because his close proximity was setting your very nerves off. His voice was like honey – smooth and deep. He could be talking about the most mundane things and you’d follow along just so you didn’t miss one syllable vibrating from his throat. Dark, obsidian-like eyes stared at you with curiosity. You knew he wasn’t someone who’d wandered in off the streets given the tailored white suit he was wearing. His black hair was cut short in a low-maintenance style that made his sharp chin and heart-shaped lips even more apparent.

Good lord, why couldn’t an ugly person have broken into your home?

None of your thoughts were rational at the moment. Maybe it was due to how tired you were. You couldn’t accurately discern the situation because your brain decision-making skills were fatigued. Yes, maybe that was it.

Or maybe you were still dreaming and this was one of those vivid, hyper-realistic-type dreams where everything felt real. But where the hell did your mind come up with him?

Finally giving you back your space, the man straightened up and took a small step back.

“Who are you?” you asked, mystified.

Folding his arms across his chest, his frown deepened. “I’m… your guardian angel.”

You snorted. “Yeah, okay. Sure you are.”

The so-called “angel” rolled his eyes. “Do you think I would go around in all white if I wasn’t?”

That was… a partially convincing argument. “Prove it.”

He sighed, clearly exasperated by your unwillingness to believe his story. With a snap of his fingers, the remote flew out of your fingers and landed in his with perfect aim. Your eyes widened and you jumped up to your feet, scurrying over to him to inspect the object. There were no strings or blades attached to it that could make it fly like it did.

“How did you do that?” you gasped.

“Angel,” was his oversimplified answer.

Narrowing your eyes, you looked behind him. There was nothing. Straightening back to look up at him, you asked, “Where are your wings?”

“They’re for emergencies only,” he stated dryly.

Well, that was no fun. Or an easy cover up. “I don’t see how that proves you’re an angel.”

Exasperated, he sighed. Then he began to glow. A blinding golden light outlined his figure and seemed to come from every inch of him. Okay. You believed him now.

You stepped back, putting room between you and the handsome guardian. One question left was pulling at the back of your mind. “So, are you just my guardian angel? Or am I just one in a long list of yours?”

“You… are a special case.”

Your ears perked up at that. Given the fact that it could be taken as either a good thing or bad, you weren’t sure how to take that answer. “A special case?”

He nodded. “Yes. Your life line was made to be long, but events keep trying to cut it short.”

“Someone’s trying to kill me?” In your momentary freak-out, you managed to step on the long duster you’d put on to keep you warm against the cold night air with your heel. You flailed to try and regain your balance, but it wasn’t enough and you braced yourself for the crash into the glass coffee table behind you. But it never came.

The angel managed to catch you by your wrist and wrapped his other arm behind your waist to steady you. It was a bit of an intimate position, making your face heat up from his close proximity once again.

Clearing your throat, you gently pushed out of his arms. “Thanks.”

“No one is trying to kill you,” he explained, clearly unaffected by what just happened – unlike you. “It’s your own affinity to create accidents or not pay attention that makes watching over you a pain.”

You stuck your tongue out at him childishly. “Well, if I’m such a pain, why don’t you switch with someone else?”

“I can’t. It doesn’t work like that.” Each time he spoke it came in monotone and his face showed very little sign of emotion beyond annoyance. Did he even know how to smile? You thought angels were supposed to be these bright, happy beings.

“Whatever,” you pouted. You yawned. Not too much longer and you’d be passing out again. “I’m going to bed. Hopefully my clumsiness won’t cause too much trouble for you while I’m asleep.”

The corner of the angel’s mouth twitched, making you double take, but he composed himself quick enough that you almost thought it was a trick of the light. Almost.

You waved at him, feeling a little silly. “Good night.”

He bowed his head. “Good night.”

Giving him one last look, you closed the door to your bedroom, effectively cutting him off from sight. Alone, you let your lips spread into a giant, ear-to-ear grin.

You had a guardian angel. You had a guardian angel. And a handsome at that.

**

As soon as your bedroom door was closed, Kyungsoo brought his hand up to his cheek, placing his palm against the skin to check for warmth. He was an angel, not a human, so he couldn’t really blush, but for a moment, when he was holding you, he thought he had.

In the past, every time he saved you, it’d been at a distance. A little angel magic and you were fine. But now – twice in one night – he’d caught you with his own hands. He’d never noticed how pretty your eyes were up close. They were wide and full of wonder just for him.

Kyungsoo shook his head. No. Those kinds of thoughts only led to trouble. Instead of going back “upstairs” like he normally did when you were sleeping, he sat down at your dining table. Snapping his fingers, he retrieved the book you had been reading earlier and opened it up to the first page. He wasn’t sure why, but he didn’t want to leave you alone tonight. So, he decided to stay and find out what was so fascinating about the story you’d been engrossed in to where you almost hurt yourself just be able to keep reading.

**

You were stunned when you woke up in the morning to find your angel was still around. And real. Very, very real.

He was sitting at the table, leafing through your current read. His face was still has stoic as ever as his eyes flitted across the page. You wanted to know if he was enjoying the story, but nothing gave away the thoughts floating in his head. At some point, he’d removed his jacket to reveal the pristine button down underneath. He’d even rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, making your heartbeat pick up.

“Do you like it?” you asked as you loomed over his shoulder.

Without looking up at you, he shrugged and closed the book. That was it?

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes at him as you walked over to your fridge. “Are you hungry?” you offered.

Shaking his head, he turned around to watch you pull ingredients of the shelves. “I don’t need to eat.”

“Well, that’s sad,” you chuckled. Oh, well. More for you.

After breakfast, you got ready for the day, showering and whatnot. Just before you headed out the door, you turned to the angel. “Are you going to follow me around all day?”

“It’s my job,” he deadpanned.

You nodded in reply. He left the apartment with you, leaving behind his jacket. This was going to be interesting.

When he said that he was going to follow you around for the day, he really meant follow.

As you walked down the sidewalk, careful not to run into any of the other pedestrians, the angel kept a good distance of at least five feet behind you. For a few blocks you put up with it, but soon you couldn’t take it anymore. Stopping in your tracks, you reached out and took his hand, pulling him up next you. He looked at you with horror before yanking his hand away.

“People are going to think you’re stalking me,” you explained as you stepped up to the crosswalk. “At least that way, they’ll just think we’re a couple.”

“We’re not a couple,” Kyungsoo argued.

“I said think.”

A little over his attitude, you took a step out onto the street. Just a second later, the angel was pulling you back, getting you out of the way just in time to avoid colliding with a bicyclist who was going way too fast down the road.

You glanced at the angel. “I’m considering that one your fault.”

“My fault?” he scoffed.

All you did was nod once before crossing the street. You only made it another block before you tripped over a bench because you were too busy looking at the window displays. Sighing, the angel took your hand once again, this time keeping a firm grasp on your fingers.

“If it keeps you from hurting yourself,” was his only explanation. You couldn’t help the smile spreading on your face. His hand was warm and strong and you liked how it felt to have his palm against your own. Were you developing a crush on your guardian?

“What’s your name, by the way?” you asked quietly.

“Kyungsoo.”

“Kyungsoo,” you repeated. You liked that name. It fit him very well. Very well, indeed.

“Where are you going?” Kyungsoo asked after a few minutes of silence.

“The museum,” you replied. “They, um, have a new exhibit that I want to see.”

When you arrived at the museum, the advertisements of the newly arrived gallery of paintings was plastered all over the windows and LED signs. You were given the dirtiest look you’d ever seen in your life. Kyungsoo, angel or not, could be a little scary with that look. You smiled back innocently. “What?”

He rolled his eyes at you but didn’t fight when you dragged him inside.

All the new paintings and sculptures revolved around the same theme: the archangels. You weren’t lying when you said you’d wanted to see the new exhibit. You’d heard about it weeks ago and had this day planned on your calendar since. The fact that you happened to have a real angel next to you while you wandered around was just a coincidence.

Kyungsoo put up with your slow study of each artwork for an hour or so. Maybe because he was bored or because he didn’t feel like being around you anymore, he decided to leave.

“I thought you were supposed to follow me and keep me out of trouble?” you teased.

“I have something I need to do,” he insisted. “Besides, I hope you can keep out of trouble in a museum.” He gave you a very pointed look.

“Yes, sir,” you snarked. “I’ll be fine. Go… do whatever you’ve got to do.” You waved him off and turned back to the painting closest to you like you really didn’t care. Even though you did. A lot. Because while you didn’t really know this angel, you felt like you did. His presence was too familiar to you, like you’d subconsciously known that he was there all along. You didn’t want him to go, but you didn’t argue.

“I’ll be back.” Kyungsoo placed a hand on your shoulder, looking you in the eye. There was a plea hidden in there, a softness that he hadn’t shown you before. “Please, stay out of trouble.”

“I promise.”

He nodded with a sigh and disappeared. Looking around, you decided to head up the stairs to the second floor where most of the sculptures were on display. You doubted any of them could compare to the real thing, but you would give them a chance, at least.

**

Kyungsoo knew he should be leaving you alone, but he needed… space. That strange sensation that had been occuring more and more lately while he was around you was flaring up again, stronger than ever. Watching you admire the paintings with that sparkle in your eye was too much for him. He shouldn’t be thinking about you in this way.

He was just outside the museum. There was no way he could go too far with you being even more of a walking disaster than normal today. But he figured standing just outside the main doors was enough of a hiding space for now.

Leaning his head back, he watched as the white puffs of clouds slowly drifted across the blue sky. Maybe this was why angels weren’t supposed to be assigned to a single human. No matter how hard he tried to fight against it, he still found himself getting attached. He decided that he liked being by your side instead of a few feet behind. He liked holding your hand and seeing you smile. He especially liked hearing you say his name.

A grin appeared on his lips as he thought about the way you said his name. So clear and content. Yes. He liked that very much.

A scream pulled Kyungsoo out of his thoughts and he ran back inside. Almost everyone seemed to be running up the stairs. Frantically searching, he could only conclude that you were on the second floor already when he couldn’t find you. Bypassing the panicking crowd, Kyungsoo disappeared and reappeared on the floor above. His eyes widened in fear when he discovered what the commotion was about.

Somehow, one of the statues outside had toppled over, destroying the glass barrier that kept patrons from falling off the balcony. You must have been caught in the crash as you were now hanging on for dear life to the edge of the crumbling floor. Everyone stared at you in horror, yapping amongst themselves, but no one moved to help you in fear of slipping off the edge as well.

“Kyungsoo!” You reached out to him with one hand while trying to keep a grip on the concrete.

He ran forward to pull you up, but you slipped, letting out a high pitched scream as you fell to your doom. Kyungsoo kept running until he jumped off the balcony. His wings burst out of their hiding place and expanded to their full span. They did their duty, helping him soar through the air to catch you and then taking off away from the witnesses who would have only seen you fall and then disappear.

Kyungsoo didn’t land until he reached your apartment. The wings hid away once again and he set you down on your feet. Your fingers clung to his shirt as you struggled to even your breathing. He cradled your face in his hands to make sure you weren’t seriously hurt. “Are you okay?”

You gave a trembling nod. “Yes, I’m fine.”

Dropping his hands, he huffed. “You touched it, didn’t you?”

“No!” you exclaimed. “I swear. It fell on its own!”

“On its own? How can I believe that?”

In anger, you threw your purse down to the ground. “It’s the truth! I was just leaning up against the railing to rest! I don’t know how it fell! Stop blaming me for everything that happens!”

Kyungsoo shook his head and his hand over his hair. “I swear, one of these days….”

That was apparently the wrong thing to say.

“If watching over me is such a pain then why don’t you just let the cosmos or whatever is constantly making these accidents have me and just leave!” You threw the balcony door open, slamming it behind you once you were inside and ran for your room.

Knowing he had messed up, Kyungsoo followed after you. The door was locked and he could hear you sniffling on the other side. On one hand, he could just poof his way into your room. On the other, he knew that would just make it worse.

“Please, let me in,” he begged softly.

“No!” you snarled back at him. “Go away!”

“I can’t.”

You scoffed. “Why? Because someone said so?”

“Because I love you.” He winced as he said those words out loud. That was breaking their biggest rule, the angels’ greatest law. But he couldn’t deny it anymore. Especially if admitting the truth would mean you let him stay.

Slowly, the door crept open, just a crack. He could see just a line of your face: your eye, half your mouth, a bit of your forehead. It was something, at least. “What?”

“I’m sorry I got upset,” he said. “I’ve never been so scared to lose you before. I’d always been right there to save you and this time… I thought I might have been too late.”

You opened the door all the way now. Tear stains trailed down both of your cheeks. You didn’t flinch away when Kyungsoo reached out to wipe them away. Encouraged, he reached out with his other hand as well, cupping your jaw in his palms. He inched closer, moving at a pace that gave you enough time to pull away if you so wished. But you stayed put, letting him brush his lips against yours before adding more pressure, really kissing you.

He'd never done anything like this before. But he knew he wanted to do it again and again. For now though, he would end it here.

At some point during the kiss, your eyes had closed. Now that he’d pulled away, they flickered back open, staring up at him wide and curious.

“Is that even allowed?” you whispered.

Kyungsoo couldn’t help the small laugh. “No,” he answered honestly. Needing you closer to him, he pulled you into a hug. “But it’ll be alright. I promise.” He had no idea how he was going to make it alright, but since he’d already broken the number one rule, he’d be fine with breaking a few more to stay with you.

You smiled at him. He loved that smiled, especially now that you were showing it just for him. “I believe you.”

“I love you,” he repeated, caressing your cheekbone with his thumb. “I know you don’t know me well enough, yet, but I know you so well. And I love you for it.”

Blush exploded across your cheeks. “Well, I’m definitely getting there.”